Friday, February 29, 2008


SOUTH PACIFIC PICTURES BUYS FILM RIGHTS TO ISLAND OF THE LOST

New Zealander Joan Druett has closed the deal with SOUTH PACIFIC PICTURES for the film rights to her riveting book, ISLAND OF THE LOST (Published in September 2007 by Allen & Unwin). The award-winning studio responsible for producing Whale Rider and Sione’s Wedding optioned the screen rights to the book, in recognition of the great dramatic potential in Druett’s acclaimed true tale of two shipwrecked crews, struggling, unbeknownst to each other, to survive at opposite ends of the treacherous Auckland Island in 1864.

Druett, a noted author of nautical history whose works of fiction have been likened to those by Patrick O’Brian by the Chicago Tribune and the Wall Street Journal, has earned numerous awards for her writing, including: a New York Public Library Best Book to Remember citation; a John Lyman Award for Best Book of American Maritime History; the Kendall Whaling Museum’s L. Byrne Waterman Award for Distinguished Scholarship; a PEN Award; and the Hubert Church Award. The New York Times calls ISLAND OF THE LOST “a riveting study of the extremes of human nature,” and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says “rarely are the two opposing sides of human nature captured in such stark and illuminating relief.”

The collaboration between Druett and South Pacific Pictures is sure to produce an international hit. The deal was made by Bill Contardi on behalf of Druett’s literary agent, Laura Langlie.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Oh yay! I heard Joan talking about her books at Going West last year. Quite riveting and with worldwide appeal.